


The Incident

by Fabrisse



Series: Rebuilding the Table [23]
Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: M/M, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 11:56:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3727987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An explanation of a reference in the previous story.  Or, Michelle is continuing to make poor life choices.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Incident

Michelle looked around the garden flat and smiled. It was nice here, easier than taking the guest room upstairs in a home that obviously didn’t include her. Daisy was becoming more a stranger every week. She talked posh, went to fancy school, liked Turkish food; Michelle didn’t know what all.

The courts were still insisting, even after two years, that she couldn’t see her own daughter without supervision. The CFS folks had decided it was okay if Daisy spent the night in the garden flat with her as long as Merlin or Eggsy or even that nanny of theirs came to check on her -- like she couldn’t be trusted with her own child.

There was some kids’ show at the open air theater that Daisy wanted to see. Eggsy had given her tickets for the both of them to go see it and a little money for ice cream or sweets. He and Merlin were going out and would check in on them when they got back late in the evening. It was the most trust she’d been given, and it made her a little nervous.

Daisy came running down the stairs and threw herself at Michelle with a big smile on her face. “Mum!”

Michelle hugged her close. “You’ve gone and grown again. Getting to be so big.”

“Dad says the same sometimes.”

“You know that Merlin’s not your dad, right? Dean is.”

Daisy blinked and said, “Dean’s my father. Merlin’s my dad.”

Michelle did her best to keep her anger back. “Well, all right. S’long as you know about Dean. He keeps wanting to see you, y’know. It’s just the courts and all saying he can’t.”

Daisy said, “I know, Mum.”

“Now don’t you go getting all sulky. We don’t want to spoil our day together. I’ll be here through Sunday lunch.”

Daisy smiled again, “That’s lovely, Mum.”

“Lovely. I suppose it is at that. So tell me ‘bout this play we’re seeing.”

***  
The play was at 5:30 a good compromise time for a summer Saturday. It was _The Midsummer Night’s Dream_ which Michelle vaguely remembered seeing with Michelle Pfeiffer in a movie a few years back, so she thought she could keep up with it. First, though, they were going to the boat area for awhile. 

Daisy tugged on Michelle’s hand, absolutely certain of her route; she could only follow along in her wake.

They went to the zoo, had an ice cream, and fed some ducks, before finally going into the theater. Turned out it was some American company, and it was going to be silent. Bad enough it was going to be bloody Shakespeare, but she was pretty certain that the words were the whole bloody point.

***  
They’d walked back to the flat in the long twilight. Daisy was twirling and talking up a storm about how pretty it all was and how beautifully they’d moved and did Mum think Eggsy could move like Puck? And wouldn’t Merlin be a perfect Oberon? And Mum could be the Queen, Titania. And she could just be Daisy, like Mustard and Peaseblossom. About a block before they got back home, Michelle said, “Stop gabbling, Daisy. It’s about driving me mad.”

Daisy stopped dead, and then she nodded and took her mother’s hand again. She didn’t say another word until they got back to the flat.

“Do you want to play a game or something, Mum? I’ve got a puzzle I’m doing, too, if you’d like.”

“No bloody telly. I always forget there’s no telly.” Michelle turned around. “Yeah, sure, I’ll play a game. Go fish or something?”

“Beggar my neighbor?”

“Yeah, I remember that one.”

They played several rounds before Michelle finally said, “Look, go get dressed for bed. I’ll come tuck you in.”

Daisy said, “And read me a story?”

“Sure. Pick something short.”

Daisy nodded and headed to the second guest room. She got ready for bed and waited for her Mum to come in. When she didn’t, Daisy got under the covers and did her best to go to sleep.

***  
She got herself a cider from the fridge and opened the door to the garden. They told her not to smoke in the house, so she got her tobacco and rolling papers and went out to one of the little chairs they kept outside. After thinking for a moment, she got two other items from her bag. Michelle put together the rollup and scraped some hash over the tobacco before rolling it up. She shook out a pill from the bottle, broke it, and took it with a slug of cider before lighting her cigarette.

***  
It hadn’t taken long for Eggsy to place the tracker on the right person. The affair had been black tie, and Princess Tilde had smoothed the way for his invitation by asking for him to protect her. Overall, the evening had been pleasant and he’d dropped her back at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence at a relatively early hour. 

Merlin met him at Kingsman, and they walked the mile and a half home together talking about their days. 

They’d smelled it as they went up the steps to their front door. Merlin seemed puzzled, but Eggsy just marched down the stairs to the garden flat and got out his key. Michelle was passed out in a garden chair. 

“Merlin, see if Daisy’s all right.” Eggsy stepped out to see to his Mum. He found the hash and the pill bottle and noted the empty cider bottle. There were three butts smoked down to the tiniest end near her feet.

Merlin came back out. “The lass is fine. Michelle yelled at her and forgot to tuck her in, but apparently it’s all better because they played cards together.”

Eggsy said, “‘Course it is. She’s our Mum, so we forgive her.” He shook his head. “But not this. Do we call the cops? CFS? What do we need to do?”

“Do you know what’s in this bottle?”

“Mandy. Probably took half a pill with the first cigarette and the other half a bit later with the third cigarette.”

Merlin said, “Your knowledge of street drugs continues to amaze me.”

“Yeah, well, if you take a whole dose of ecstasy with hash, it can make you really paranoid. Half the dose it will make you floaty, a second dose at peak and it keeps you high nearly three times as long.”

“Experience?”

Eggsy nodded. “Told you, mandy’s the only one I’d do again.” He caught Merlin’s glance at the bottle. “No, my love. Never with Daisy in the house. Never without you to share it.”

Merlin said, “Try waking her. Or I can. One of us should be with Daisy.”

“I’ll wake her. But I think we need to call the cops or CFS, too. Document it.”

“Are you certain, _mo chridhe_?”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, well, Daisy’s more important than Mum’s hurt feelings.”

“Yes. I’ll call CFS while I’m with Daisy. If you think your Mum needs an ambulance or that we need to call the cops, it’s your call.”

“Thank you.” 

Merlin pulled out his phone and made the call as he went back into Daisy. Eggsy tried to wake his mother several ways, when she took a deep breath and began to vomit. He hit 999 and asked for an ambulance for possible drug related illness.

***  
Daisy was ensconced in her own bed, after having a chapter of her new book read to her by Merlin.

He’d dealt quietly with the CFS report while Eggsy was with his mother at the hospital. 

Eggsy came in and took a quick shower before crawling into bed with Merlin. “Mum was awake when I left. She was complaining that we didn’t have any telly and we’re always judging her, and she just wanted to relax a little and…”

Merlin kissed him. “I’m so sorry.”

“What did CFS say?”

“They’ll request an emergency hearing for early in the week requesting that we have full custody, no visitation for Michelle. I suggested a rehab program. We can afford it. It will give her a chance.”

Eggsy said, “Thank you, my love. I’m not certain I could have made a decision tonight. By the way, the reason I came back? I left when Dean arrived.”

“Christ, why does she stay with that man?”

“Dunno. Don’t want to know.” His hands began to wander over the planes of Merlin’s chest. “Let me know if you’re too tired.”

“Never for you. Maybe nothing too energetic.”

Eggsy leaned in for a gentle kiss. “I can handle that.”

**Author's Note:**

> The production I have them going to see is by Synetic Theater. Their Silent Shakespeare productions are amazing. I believe they did actually go to London for six weeks a couple of years ago, but I don't know that they have any plans to return.  
> http://www.synetictheater.org/event_pages/a-midsummer-nights-dream/


End file.
